sko_G knits 'n stuff

making progress

2012-01-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

i've been busy this weekend making flying geese. about half way through assembling and trimming these blocks to their proper size, it dawned on me that it would be more efficient to pick up the special flying geese ruler to make my life easier.

and it did.

that is, up until i went to set the stitches and press the seam on this strip...

how did i miss that? and this was after i had sewn about 75% of the units for my finished quilt. it was a sure sign that i needed to stop and go do something else.

last night i finished sewing all the units into strips and the strips into one piece, so the quilt top is done. tonight i will assemble the back, make the quilt sandwich and baste my layers together.

my deadline is looming.

holiday sewing

2011-12-28T10:10:00.000-08:00

to keep my mind occupied during a very sad time, i pulled out some Happy Holiday fat quarters from my stash and started sewing these reversible little tote bags

it was good therapy for an afternoon.

i also found some time to work on these log cabin blocks, which eventually turned into a table runner and matching table pad for a christmas gift for my mother.

she has a glass top coffee table and matching side table in her living room which i designed the sizes for.

and the last bit of holiday sewing i worked on was this quilt for my nephew. you may recognize the fabric from diagonal madness which i made for my other nephew last year.

pensée en français

2011-07-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

i am definitely on a French General kick. in addition to the unfinished Panier de Fleurs quilt top from my last post, i have started in on some pom pom de paris star blocks.

i've got a maison de garance quilt top done, ready for a backing to be put together.

la petite ecole...can't settle on a pattern quite yet, but the fabric cuts are screaming out to me!

not to mention the fa la la la la half-yards i have yet to take photos of!!

and no, this is not a sponsored post. french general is one of my favorite shops, and i love every fabric line that they have come out with. something about the contemporary interpretation of the old french style. perhaps it's that secret desire i have to get back to the south of france that drives me to their style every time.

oops! que je suis bete

2011-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

this week i started a patriotic(-ish) quilt, trying to get it done by the 4th weekend.

the last time i was at French General, i picked up a few cuts of their upcoming line, Panier de Fleurs. not knowing what i was going to do with it, i just opted with 1/2-yard cuts of my selected prints. i decided to use these for my quilt and up until last night production has come to a halt...i don't have enough fabric.

i had the brilliant idea of schlepping it up to french general to pick up more, i live a good 45 minutes-to-an hour away. imagine my wave of emotions as i pulled up and saw the perfect parking spot right at the front door - the high, then came the low...as i walked up and noticed none of the lights were on and the door was shut, i read the sign and they've switched to their summer hours. CLOSED ON SATURDAY.

needless to say, this quilt is going to go unfinished, and there'll be sitting on the ground for us over the fourth!

hawaiian quilt

2011-04-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

until i can muster up enough courage to attempt a hawaiian quilt, i have this to live with.

wowow

2011-03-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

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i really wish i had the patience to make this quilt. it's so beautiful but i can already tell you that if i attempted to work on it i would probably only get to 2 maybe three of the blocks. if i am lucky.

first finish of 2011

2011-02-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

ok, although this is the first finish of 2011, i have to admit i actually started this one over a year ago. i cut all the pieces and started sewing rows and soon realized i didn't like what was resulting. uneven rows, puckering...all the mistakes of a rookie. come to find out it was because i cut the triangles on the bias and as i sewed individual pieces together, i was ironing...key word ironing, not pressing, thus causing distortion. so i threw the project to the side never to see the light again.

it wasn't until about late summer that i came across the quilt again, ok actually gaetan asked me when i was going to finish his quilt, when the project was resurrected. by this point all that was left was the quilting - i had actually pieced the whole thing together and added the borders and basted the sandwich together before casting it aside. what?!? with that little left to do? i couldn't believe it.

uhm. yes, i could.

ok, so that took all of one day and then the unfortunate happened - i had no binding. so i put it aside and worked on other things and the cycle started all over again. it wasn't until about mid january when i finally got around to ordering that small piece of kona cotton in coffee (triggered by the fact that i needed to order some other kona cottons to finish the zigzag quilt for dee). so i cut into that half yard, put together my binding and finished off the quilt.

needless to say, now i have to get that zigzag quilt done.

seeing red

2011-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

a friend of mine asked me to make a couple of quilts for him to take to the angels games to keep him warm while he knits. uhm, to watch baseball i mean. the only stipulation he gave me was that he wanted it to be red overall, as red is his favorite color.

so i quickly got a hold of a bunch of various reds and got going...

i knew i wanted to make two different quilts, but have them relate somehow. in the end, one was half square triangles with just the reds, and the other was concentric squares with a splash of aqua and black thrown in.

both are backed with kona cotton in various shades of red, as well i used kona cotton in chinese red for the binding on both.

i am glad he loved them both, and maybe i'll see them on tv when baseball season starts up again.

sweet treats

2011-01-05T16:17:00.000-08:00

later on...we'll conspire, as we dream...by the fire.

2010-12-22T18:03:00.001-08:00

i guess depending on your mood as well as the season, you can interpret the above in different ways.

diagonal madness, finally.

so i finally finished this Diagonal Madness. you remember, the one i started back in july? after the debacle of the month, i put this one on the non-urgent priority list and it hasn't resurfaced until the recipient's due date drew closer. well, little paulin finally came into the world yesterday and it needed to be done before he got here.

the pattern is based on the 'diagonal madness' quilt found in kaffe fasset's Country Gardens quilt book. if you look closely, you will notice a number of things: a) my version is quite pared down, b) no bordering 9-patch, c) my emphasis on the smaller squares going perpendicular to the larger squares on point are much subtler than the pattern calls for.

ok, it boils down to i did a lazier version of the real thing.

i backed this one with a row pieced together with the left over patched that didn't make it to the front, along with some kona cotton in brown. the binding was attached on the back, and topped stitched onto the front which created this great line of stitching alongside the binding fabric on the back.

baby knits

2010-12-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

seems like everyone is having their baby this holiday season, i have been busy knitting up some little gifts. unfortunately i don't have photos of all the little hats, but here are a few that i managed to snap...

from natural knits for babies and moms, the hat from the Blanket and Hat pattern for newborns:

i used malabrigo twist for both of the hats, and i just loved working with this yarn. the finished product was so soft and squishy like no other malabrigo i have used before! want to knit another project with yarn again soon.

based on the pattern for cotton stria stripes from itty bitty hats:

thanks to ari for sending pictures modeling her new hats, paulin isn't here yet to model his, i am sure i will get some photos after he comes into the world next week! i wasn't able to snap a shot of the hat for shane before i had to send it off in a christmas package to the midwest, and in the works is a hoodie also for baby shane.

quilt for michael

2010-10-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

way back when...i think it was early june, michael z. asked me to create a quilt for him. the only parameters he gave me were it had to be blue with a hint of orange, he asked that i avoided florals, and it didn't matter about the pattern/design.

sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes... not so much.

i really struggled with the design part of it...did i want to go simple and modern? did i want to go funky or wonky? what about traditional or basic patchwork? nevermind, i'll go choose fabrics first - that's always fun.

the first thing i did was chose six fabrics in varying shades of blue, two more with orange in them, and one main orange fabric. once my order was placed (thanks to cynthia from fabricworm for all her help) i went back to wracking my brain and searching the internets for inspiration. still no luck.

then one day, while i was watching episodes of quilt in a day on my DVR, eleanor burns was demonstrating the silent star and comfort quilt. ding ding ding! for some reason, that block pattern was calling out to me.

in eleanor's demonstration, she uses lattice and cornerstones between the blocks. i felt that butting the more traditional block pattern up against each other would make the quilt seem more contemporary, so i left that out. to create a visual consistency since there was so much going on with the varying shades of blue and different types of pattern in each fabric, i decided to use aqua and white in the corners of the blocks to create the hourglass effect connecting the blocks.

the whole process took me quite a long time to complete, but in the end i am very happy with the quilt...i almost didn't want to give the quilt to it's new owner!

seeing red

2010-08-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

i am working on a couple of quilts for a friend. it's taking me a bit longer than i would like, what with summertime activities and day to day life and all, i am actually getting to sew bits here and there. also, the designs i chose to do are bit more time consuming than i expected.

can you tell someone likes red?

so for the last month or so, my sewing room (aka dining room) has been a mess. and it looks like it will remain so for quite some time.

mom's birthday quilt

2010-08-04T12:38:00.001-07:00

my mother recently asked me about making her a quilted "runner" for the foot of her bed. i didn't exactly know what that was, but when she explained that it was merely a strip that is put at the foot of the bed for decorative purposes, similar to a table runner. i asked her why not just get a regular sized blanket and fold it up lengthwise and keep it on the foot of the bed? that way if she got cold, she could unfold it and actually use it rather than have something there that doesn't serve a purpose.

this was the same weekend of her birthday, so imagine her surprise when i gave this quilt to her. she even exclaimed that it was the exact color scheme she chose to redo her bedroom in. a tangerine feature wall behind her bed, with sort of a grayish tan for the other three walls, with yellow accents around the room. perhaps i had a premonition?

backing is kona cotton in tangerine, binding is kona cotton in stone. front pieced with joel dewberry's aviary in yellow, sunburst in yellow, woodgrain in yellow and del hi monarch by valori wells. the first photo of this post shows the color most accurately.

riding high in april, shot down in may

2010-07-11T11:33:00.000-07:00

can anyone see it?
diagonal madness is driving me mad.

so, i started by piecing squares then arranging them into rows and sewed them together. then i started on one end, sewing the rows together until i got to the longest point in the middle. to make things easier on myself and avoid handling too much bulk, i decided to start on the other end and then sew the two halves together.

take a closer look at the two halves.

i have flipped the rows inadvertently on the second half so the two halves don't match up. now i'll be spending the day with my trusted seam ripper separating the rows on one half and resewing.

tardy for the party

2010-06-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

as much as i draw inpsiration from perusing through kaffe fasset's quilt patterns, it hadn't occured to me to join in on a quilt along (which started on april 13th) until just the other night. i mean, i already started a diagonal madness quilt a few weeks ago...

and yes, i did cut into those erin mcmorris fabrics already. i just couldn't resist. i am going to make the yellow potpourri quilt with those. so with two kaffe fasset quilts technically started, i decided to join the quilt along being sponsored by STC Craft in celebration of the publication of kaffe's new book Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts.

everyone could use a little enhancement

2010-06-19T11:57:00.001-07:00

i am very excited to have a new project in queue featuring these gorgeous erin mcmorris fabrics.

i managed to acquire the wildwood fabrics when they first came out, and sort of had buyer's remorse - it was one of those impulse buys and once i got them home i had no idea what to do with them. there they sat in the very small stash that i had started and i kept going back to them trying to figure out what was going to become of them.

then finally her new line, weekends came out. at first i thought they weren't really my style, until i started flipping through my kaffe fassett books (which i do quite regularly) and inspiration struck. i had the brilliant idea of adding to the wildwood cuts i already had and of course they coordinate beautifully.

now i am dying to start this project, even though i already have 4 wip's (not including my knitting wip's which i am too embarrassed to start to count) that need to get done. but anyone who knows me won't be surprised if i start cutting into these by next week.

it's already the end of february

2010-02-22T11:39:00.001-08:00

and here is the first of this year's projects...

this is a quilt i made for my MIL and although it looks like it, it's not a valentine's day quilt - she LOVES red. while i was piecing the blocks i kept thinking about how individually they looked like starlight mints and how i secretly wanted to keep them for myself.

the front is pieced with red & white cotton prints i picked up from various vendors at the pacific international quilt festival i went to up in santa clara last october. the lattice is kona cotton by robert kaufman in sky and the cornerstones and binding is a blue & white with red accent reproduction fabric.

the back is pieced squares of kona cotton in tomato and a red batik.

and the last of last years...

i gifted this quilt to my grandmother this past christmas and i swear i have never seen her so excited about anything. nothing beats the feeling that you get with a reaction like that from something you made for someone.

quilt top pieced with frabrics from a batik inspired sweet treat fat quarter set by pincushion boutique and kona cotton in violet and orchid. the binding is also kona cotton in purple.

back is more kona cotton in ash, quilting done with a purple shade of gütermann 100% cotton thread.

catsup

2010-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

still catching up with posting late 2009 projects...

halloween 2009 quilt.

quilt top made from one of the halloween themed sweet treats fat quarter sets by pincushion boutique and bound with black kona cotton by robert kaufman.

quilted with black thread and a wobbly stitch to keep it "scary", looking like spider webs (?)

back is also kona cottons. the finished size of this one is 32x49, kind of small for a lap blanket but i didn't plan much with this quilt, just kind of started cutting and piecing and before i knew it i had the binding on and i considered it might be a bit little.

playing catch up

2010-02-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

...or is it ketchup?

2009 Holiday Quilt - finished

this quilt was done with the 2009 collection of Michael Miller FUNKY CHRISTMAS fabrics, and backed with Minky in Winter White. finished size: 38x52

baby quilt #1

2009-08-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

baby quilt #1 is done. finally. i loved the process of putting this together, i learned a lot and i know i'll definitely be needing (wanting) that new sewing machine sooner rather than later.

the intention was to use green as the main color as the mother-to-be loves green, and pink accents since she is having a girl. i just saw photos of their nursery and what do you know, it's green with pink accents.

the quilt top and binding is made from joel dewberry's aviary collection. the backing is a white with pink and green dots flannel from joann's.

i am glad i am done so i can send this out, i am just a bit torn that my first finished quilt is not one for me, it would be nice to have my first one so that i can whip it out in 20 years and see how far i've come (or didn't). at least i know it's going to great home and will be loved.

georges I & II

2009-08-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

in an effort to keep things moving and attempt to have finished winter garments by the appropriate time, i have decided to start working on a couple of new sweaters.

these are george from Menswear by Jane Ellison, by Queensland Collection. my hope is that by working on two simulatneously, it will keep me motivated to get them both done in a timely fashion.

this is a pretty mindless pattern, all in a 2x1 rib so it's a great knit for catching up with all the reality tv i have on the dvr.

my head is spinning

2009-08-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

bernina

pfaff

janome

husqvarna viking

i've been endlessly researching on the internet between forums and reviews and blogs, talking to dealers, testing out models - i am probably even more confused than when i began. there are many factors to consider and within each price-point, each machine has slightly different features from the other that they all seem to weigh out about evenly.

in the end, it may just come down to the cost factor because who knows how much deeper i may get into sewing, in a few years i might want to upgrade to more advanced features or i may be fine with the basics!

thank god i love shopping cause at least i'm still enjoying the process!

obsessed a little?

2009-08-01T23:11:00.000-07:00

so what does it mean when you go into your craft stash and are looking for something specific and come across some origami paper and the first thing you think to yourself is, "god, i wish those were squares of fabric..."

yes, i've been bitten by the sewing bug. more specifically, the quilting bug. i have been researching good machines that will handle quilting, and have come to realize that i'm going to have to fork out a small fortune for a quality piece. i've been tirelessly researching, and have determined the features i would like the machine to have based on the wants/needs list from sew,mamma,sew!

i made the mistake of "dropping in" to a sew and vac shop for a few minutes today, and i cannot stop thinking about all the pretty toys in there!!

my first quilt

2009-07-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

well sort of. let's say it's my first FINISHED quilt. since i still haven't gotten around to picking up more white flannel for the backing of the quilt in my previous post, i decided it might be a little smart to practice quilting before doing a large piece.

i pieced together some of the scraps from the christmas lap quilt to make this pot holder:

and i am glad that i did. don't look too close, otherwise you will see way too many mistakes. i take it as a good learning experience though, since now i know what i shouldn't be doing...and what i need to pay closer attention to. MUCH closer attention...like how to properly attach a binding. and properly basting and pinning; i thought i was being smart and efficient by not basting or pinning while quilting this piece..."because it was so small". nope, it doesn't make a difference. especially when you don't have the walking foot on.

i know, all the huge mistakes of a novice quilter.

ok, so after all my learning experiences, i decided to tackle my next project:

the quilt top is done, gotta get going on the next steps...let's see if i was REALLY paying attention with that pot holder.

the lonely square

2009-07-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

i was excited that the week was finally over and i had some time to spend working on the quilt i started over a week ago. ok, so i admit, i am a poor planner. it's my first quilt and i got wrapped up in gathering my supplies, ordering fabric and cutting them up into appropriate sizes.

i spent the afternoon laying them out trying to achieve an eye pleasing layout.

now that i look at it again, there are a few things that i would have adjusted. so i started sewing the strips together, careful to line up the flannel backing fabric to the front fabric.

i get close to done with the strips and come to realize that i am ONE SQUARE SHORT of being able to finish the last strip.

so now i am at a stand still, with yet another UFO, since i can't finish piecing the thing together since i have no more of the backing fabric.

perhaps i should learn to count first.

new project

2009-07-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

a while ago, my mother gave me a sewing machine. this is the third sewing machine in my possession - all of which i've had for years - and now i have finally decided to sew something. actually i intended to sew since we got back from europe in may, being that i brought back meters of a couple of fabrics from france for various projects around the house.

but i digress...

last week i picked up some great michael miller fabrics from his funky christmas line.

so far i've washed and pressed my fabric, cut into the appropriate size, and am now ready to start the quilting process. it's going to be a christmas themed (in case you haven't already guessed) lap quilt. i figure it's easier to start small before i delve into the bed-sized project for my first attempt (and with plenty of time before the holiday season starts).

after the gauge

2008-10-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

so there is knitting still go on around these parts. nothing too exciting though, i finished the center panel of bathmat x2 - #2:

...a couple more rows of the stashbuster throw:

...i have managed to finish the back panel of the urban aran cardigan:

...and all in typical knitter's a.d.d. style, started some new fingerless gloves:

gauge is key

2008-10-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

inspired by my move from one part of the office to another, i have started on a project that i have had in the queue for quite some time. you see, i am moving from a quite comfortable (in temperature) part of the office - where i had complete control of the thermostat, to side of the office where the servers are based. which means it needs to be COLD. and it doesn't help that the a/c vent is right above my new spot.

yet another project inspired by jared, the urban aran cardigan, i am having a bit of challenge on this one. based on the dimensions on the pattern and recommended needle size of my yarn, i foolishly started this one without doing a swatch. i know, what do i always tell roy? gauge is key when knitting something ESPECIALLY if you are not using the same exact yarn that the pattern calls for. so for now, the two front panels are coming out WAY too small to fit me.

the good news? let this serve as my gauge swatch.

since starting this post, i have started on the back panel of the sweater, i switched up a half needle size from a US 10 to US 10.5, and also went from knitting up the medium size to the large.

much. better.

the gauge is still not what the pattern calls for, but it's coming out to the dimensions that i want it to be, so now i am a happy boy.

and 30 days later...

2008-10-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

bath mat x2 - #2

i've started the second of the bath mats, but i've fallen and can't get up. true to authentic knitter's a.d.d., i haven't touched this project since i started on the hats bound for minnesota.

something went wrong

2008-09-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

terribly, terribly wrong.

josh's hat, aka littlelf's hat. (see previous post for accurate color)

project particulars
pattern: spiral hat from the opinionated knitter by elizabeth zimmerman, also known as conch, snail, or Dairy Queen hat.
needles: clover bamboo size US 10.5 dpns
yarn: elann peruvian highland worsted; #726-mid indigo heather and tosca by lang yarns in colorway 8474

the hat's done, but looks nothing like i had expected it to based on the photo in The Opinionated Knitter by elizabeth zimmerman. here's a sample of what it should look like from I Knit: Zimmermad. i chose this hat for it's elfen like quality, but in the end it looks nothing like what it should. i am contemplating doing it over again, but in the end probably won't.

winter prep

2008-09-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

WHAT?

it's only september.

yeah, i know but i can already sense the temperature drop in the evening - it's going to be here sooner than we think. i've started a couple of projects to send to my pals who will be stuck with a horrid winter (compared to the lovely mild southern california winters which regardless, i STILL complain about how cold it gets) in minneapolis.

first off is bret's hat.

project particulars
pattern: Swirl Hat by S.M. Kahn (for the life of me i cannot find the link to this pattern) with a modification to the crown shaping, taken from brooklyntweed's Cap Karma crown shaping mods.
needles: clover bamboo size US 6 24" circulars
yarn: elann peruvian highland worsted; about 1.25 skeins of #616-redwood

this was a quick knit, done in just a couple of nights. why did i change the crown shaping? don't ask me, i am too embarrassed to say. in actuality, i THOUGHT i was making cap karma, until i went and looked at photos on ravelry and found that it wasn't at all like what other's had knit. i remembered jared made the mods to his cap karma crown shaping, which i took notes of. so when i started knitting based on the pattern that had written down and started in on the crown shaping, i thought something seemed kind of odd. so then i decided to go look at his blog and compare his photos to my piece. uhm...it was nothing similar. so i thought to check my notes more closely, and what did i write? right at the top in all caps: "SWIRL HAT designed by S.M. Kahn". uh...how did i miss that?!?

second is littlelf's hat.

well, it's really josh's hat, but we call him little elf. i won't go into why right here, but i've started it and should be done soon.

bathmat1, of x's2

2008-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

ok, #1 is done, needs to be blocked and ends sewn in, but i am going to start #2 tonight, just so it doesn't become like all of my sock projects!! poor singleton socks, my excuse was that it was summer and i had months before the cool weather set in and i needed to actually wear them. well, that time is quickly approaching, so perhaps i need to get on the socks as soon as bathmat2 is done?

look at all the yummy rows of garter!!

bath mat

2008-08-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

inspired by brooklyntweed's love for garter, i thought i'd take time out from all of my wip's and start this simple cotton bath mat.

i'm basing the mat on the simple cotton bath mat pattern from the purl bee. i've modified the center panel from stockinette to, what else...garter. great U.S. Open knitting project, nothing to distract me from all of the great qualifiers playing this year.

my intention is for this to go in the master bath, where i would need 2 matching mats, one in front of each sink. let's hope that i don't get into the same pattern that i get in with socks, otherwise this mat is going to have to sit by itself in the missing mates pile for a while.

office recycling

2008-08-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

ever wonder what the guy in the next cubicle does all day? the next time you go up to the kitchen, take a look at what might be sitting in the recycling bin...you just may get an idea of what your co-workers are up to.

that's right, an empty bottle of jack daniels, skin trip moisturizing lotion, and juice all wrapped up in one cellophane bag. the funny thing is, i know only one person in this office who even knows what skin trip is, and so i think my assumption of who these bottles belonged to are pretty accurate.

this explains why she looked so tore-up this morning.

cardi for jenna

2008-08-17T22:46:00.001-07:00

project update: progress is being made!!

now that the 2008 summer olympics are at the halfway point, i guess i am right on track with my amanolympics project. the bodice is done and i am now working on the "skirt" portion, which is made up of the lace pattern. i have taken liberty with the pattern and changed the lace from a sort of herringbone type to more of a diamond lace.

i am really happy with the mod, and i am anxious to get this thing done and blocked!

party for one

2008-08-10T00:35:00.001-07:00

i was looking forward to the banquet party my friends were throwing for over a hundred guests this weekend all week long. as i spent my saturday running errands and doing chores that is what kept me going through the heat of the day, as i usually prefer to keep my sweat glands from overworking on my days off. or at least i'd rather do such tasks in the cooler hours of the day...

so i got ready and got myself to china town...found my way to the restaurant and parked my car, i thought to myself "the parking lot is kind of empty, everyone must have found street parking..." i chose my spot, looked down into the courtyard and didn't notice a number of people heading to the front doors. i made my way to the restaurant and thought that cute shop selling the paul frank merchandise was worth checking out, but i had to hope they'd still be open after the dinner.

so i make my way into the restaurant, pausing to let a few rushing people holding huge bouquets by. no one in the lobby, "hmm that's strange" i thought. the hostess looked at me as if to imply, can i help you? and i stated, "i'm here for the [treese and pete] party..." she's like, "who?" i repeat myself. "what?" at this point, i am thinking...does this woman even speak english? i repeat myself, she starts flipping pages through her book. "OH!" she exclaims, "they moved the date" as she points to the name on the calendar. "uh...ok, thanks" i say and turn to walk out.

so at this point, you can imagine the rush of emotions and thoughts that run through my mind as i made my way back to the car. at first, embarrassment. next, confusion, then of course irritation...thinking, did they call everyone but forgot me? i finally realize that i should double check the invite and you know what? the party is tomorrow.

guess what i ended up having for dinner?

i was so flustered, i had to stop and pick up a pie for myself.

don't get too excited

2008-08-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

as i've mentioned, i've joined the A Mano Crew to compete in the first ever amanolympics during the 2008 Olympic Games. the mission is to challenge oneself to knit or crochet something before the Games end. The official cast-on time for the amanolympics was during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies yesterday and must be finished by the end of the closing ceremonies on Sunday, August 24.

last night, a friend had a get together at his place to watch the opening ceremonies and have a little chinese take-out. i guess that was his idea of a "theme". the food and the company was great, and i was excited to cast on. as i pulled out my pattern, i looked it over to get myself oriented. stitch markers, got 'em. yarn, got it. tape measure, check. stitch/row counter. check. size 6 circs...wha...? yup. i totally forgot the needles when packing up my knitting tote.

we had to run out to get the take out before the ceremonies began, and luckily my friend (who is not a knitter nor a crocheter) remembered that there was a yarn shop in the complex where the restaurant was. that feeling of disappointment and slight panic washed away as i heard this news, so we ran over to the shop as the food was ordered.

* for more accurate color representation, see first image in this post

we get back to his place and sit down to watch the opening ceremonies and i start to cast on. not bad since i had to buy addi turbos instead of addi natura (bamboo), which i prefer - especially with the cotton fleece yarn which is kind of slippery for me. so i get 6 rows in and i stop to admire my work (which i highly recommend you do constantly to check for any mishaps along the way) and i notice my gauge is a bit loose, oh great.

i had to put the knitting back in the bag, i guess it wasn't meant to be...so this morning? ripped! i'll be casting back on shortly...

stashbuster

2008-08-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

work in progress...

i've put myself on a yarn diet of sorts, although i did just buy some new yarn to participate in ravelympics 2008. whoops. in reality, i wasn't going to partake, but i found a cute cardi pattern that i want to make for my niece on knitty. so i figured that since i was going to make this anyway, and shannita had asked if i was going to participate in ravelympics...i thought i might was well since there was no logical reason not to.

but i digress...

i have been itching to knit up a chevron patterned striped throw, and i just couldn't decide on a stitch pattern to use. well, i did narrow it down to 4 but i realized that i didn't have the right yarn to showcase any of those stitch patterns. so since i had a ton of GGH solitaire and GGH esprit lying around from other projects and projects that never came to be, i decided that a simple garter throw was appropriate for using up this portion of my stash.

as you can tell, i am randomly alternating between the solitaire and esprit, as well as varying the width of the color stipes. it's probably about 12" now and i will just keep going until all the GGH is used up. i just hope it will be enough for a decent finished size.

vest for G

2008-07-26T23:30:00.000-07:00

it's PUR-PLE.

yes! finally an F.O.. not much of a feat though, since this thing was started back in september of last year. it's been sitting around since march or april, waiting for the pieces to be seamed together which i got to in may. then the ends needed to be woven in, but that didn't happen until sometime in june. why so long? who knows. as you can probably tell i haven't been inspired much lately to knit up anything new. there's been knitting here and there, but on projects that have been lying around for much too long.

project particulars
pattern: Argyle Pullover Vest from knitting with balls by Michael del Vecchio (i made a non-argyle version)
needles: clover bamboo size US 6 24" circulars
yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Merino Worsted; a little less than 3 hanks of #68-violetas and less than a quarter of a hank of #123-rhodesian

i guess i don't need to reiterate how loverly working with malabrigo is. it seriously glides across the needles like buttah. i guess i should get back to my striped raglan that i have put down since last year. i don't know, i am kind of over it and am contemplating frogging the whole thing and making a vest like this one...but still with the same color and stripe combo.

but i digress, i followed the pattern pretty closely, only making a few adjustments along the way...the most obvious is foregoing the argyle portion of the vest. i actually started to knit the center diamond as the pattern calls for, but with this color scheme going, it just stood out way too much...

i figured that with varigation in the color of the yarn itself it was best to keep it simple. that plus a purple vest (albeit his favorite color) having a huge orange argyle in the middle of it wasn't helping his wardrobe any, and i think that the simpler purple field with a bit of orange accent can go a lot further for him.

i wanted to keep the pop of orange as a slight detail because he loves orange, not to mention it goes so perfectly with the besotted scarf i made him a while back.

he absolutely loves it and is quite excited and anxious to wear it, which of course just makes my day.

dilemma

2008-07-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

...working on the second of the sea otter socks. i guess it pays to look back at the first sock and figure out what i actually did.

i started the second sock on the trip back to the midwest, and somewhere between the layover in vegas and minneapolis i started to notice that the colors were pooling. luckily, i was smart enough to bring the first sock with me - i pulled it out and sure enough the colors were not coming out the same (not to mention that the brown cuff was not the same length).

hmmm, why?

first thought...i was knitting on the wrong needle size. i checked the stitch tension on the finished sock, compared it to the one i was working on. nope, same tension. i knew that yarn looked like it was meant for a US2. so, what was the problem? i decided that i needed to count stitches. turns out, i cast on 68 for the first sock, and for the second?

i was only knitting 64.

problem solved.

welcome back

2008-06-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

what?

has it really been that long? i'd like to think that i have been on vacation since my last post, but in actuality i have been back for a while now. although our trip was 3 weeks, i just haven't had a chance to post!! that plus there really hasn't been much knitting going on. i seriously have only started knitting again this week, probably about two nights ago. but, i am proud to say that i DID get some knitting done while on our trip...although i don't have photos to prove it i was able to knit on planes, on trains, and in our hotel!

this is the boyfriend sock. i was able to start it on the plane to paris, and got it done between the hotel room, the train ride from paris to belgium, and in belgium where i ultimately finished it.

by the way, while waiting for our train to depart i decided to try to get to hogwarts, but i wasn't aware there wasn't a connection from Gare du Nord.

i also brought along the sea otter sock revisited...

i was able to work on this on the plane from brussels to barcelona, in barcelona at the park guell, back in belgium at G's parent's place, and ultimately finished it in the plane back to the US. sad. not finishing the sock, but having to come back home.

in all, i got two first socks done, and now i have those added to the pile of first socks.

oh, did i mention i also started yet ANOTHER new sock?

btw, i was able to get in some time on [real] clay courts!! totally exciting since most clay courts in the US are not as luxurious as the real stuff in europe. this stuff is actually much closer to what is used at roland garros!

sea otter socks revisted

2008-05-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

i have been dying to pick this yarn up again but could not figure out a pattern that would showcase the beauty of this yarn. i kept trying different patterns that would either get lost in the colorway or it would just end up pooling like no one's business.

so i went back to a basic...the basic rib that is.

as you can see, i am about 3/4ths of the way done with the first sock.

i may just save the second for our trip to europe next week. i am having a difficult time on deciding what projects to knit while away, three weeks is a long time, i am thinking of bringing maybe three different socks to knit up. the hexagon blanket would be too much to carry and knit on the plane and on trains. a sweater? also pretty bulky. i guess socks it is since i am not in the hat nor scarf mood...

i've also managed to finish putting together the malabrigo vest, all that's left is weaving in the ends and she'll be ready for her closeup.

mystery chest

2008-04-22T23:14:00.001-07:00

when this super huge package arrived for me, i couldn't imagine that it could have been my FCS3 package. i was expecting something smaller but to my surprise...behold the mystery chest:

seriously, my pal went above and beyond. first, let's talk about this trunk. oddly enough, a friend and i have been talking about those little cosmetic trunks that our mothers had back in the days of hot rollers and such, and how they would make the perfect knitting case. imagine my surprise when i ripped into the package to find this trunk so carefully wrapped in scrunched paper for protection.

it came over the weekend but i haven't had a chance to take any photos until tonight, so please forgive the lighting. check out it's amazing contents!

there are two hanks of malabrigo worsted in citrus, three hanks of manos cotton stria, three luxurious skeins of royal bamboo, and one skein of life style by zitron; 3 bags of licorice...OMG, i am about to faint over those i love them so much...3 bars of dark chocolate...seriously, someone catch me...some amazing glass knitting needles, a set of 000 addi dpns, "things i learned from knitting...whether i wanted to or not" by the yarn harlot, a cottage cotton collection pattern book by manos del uruguay, some lovely rain dots stickers for my windows, an embroidered "c" initial iron-on (i am having serious thoughts of putting my initial on all my shirts a-la laverne) and last but not least yarn ball cat toys for miusey!! whew.

first of all, how she managed to get all that into that trunk is beyond me, i can't seem to get the top shut again with all that stuff in there.

second of all, there is way more in here than i could have imagined, my secret pal went way above and beyond. thirdly, she certainly was good at keeping her identity a secret, i had to do a little investigative searching to find out who she was...there was no note enclosed!!

a little birdie told me who she was, thanks kathleen (Serya of Duntrune)!!

gauge the gauge

2008-04-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

ok, so i guess i am not having the best of luck with the socks these days...i've been knitting this sock up for the past week, with frogging and starting over twice, and tinking back a few times, i finally got on a roll.

today i decided to slip them on to check the fit. as i've been knitting i thought it looked a little small, but with the pattern i was using i figured that was just how it looked in it's relaxed state, with stretching to allow for my calf. well, i quickly found out that it was indeed too small...barely able to get the cuff over my heel.

i've slightly modified ann budd's "elegant ribbed stockings" pattern to be less of a stocking and more of a sock. and left out the eyelet row for a ribbon and a bow. oh, and instead of the sportweight specified by the pattern, i am using sock yarn. so a few calculations were invloved. ergo the problem: i am not a math major. in fact, as a designer i see things visually, so what seems to make sense to me on paper, doesn't always come out in reality. especially where numbers are concerned.

now that i've got the photo snapped and the post up, i am off to rip it all out and start again!

sea otter...in the pool?

2008-03-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

back at stitches west, i picked up this stunning yarn

it's baywood yarns' pearly twist sock yarn - 100% superwash merino in medium weight, the colorway is "sea otter". i absolutely was drawn to the hank as it was sitting amongst the 17 million other hanks, the combination of the aqua amongst the shades of brown took my breath away...well, not really, but somehow my eye went straight to it and i don't even remember anything else about what the vendor was selling.

my plans for this little lovely are socks, i swatched up a little square to see what pattern i wanted to do, and how the color would knit up.

swatch looks great, right? so i started knitting up the sock and it never dawned on me that the color might sort of pool when knitted in the round, which it is. i am not sure i am liking it, or rather, like the way it comes across with the stitch pattern i am using.

i may have to put this aside and come back to it again, perhaps i may have a better appreciation for how the colors are pooling together. if it bothers me i will frog and figure what else i can do with the yarn. in the meantime look who was laughing at my dilemma...

go anywhere....ANYwhere

2008-03-27T18:06:00.001-07:00

a couple of weeks ago i started working on these fingerless gloves - i thought they would be great to use in the mornings as the office is usually pretty chilly after a night of being empty during the winter time. i also wanted a small project to bring with me "on the road" to knit in free time during the tournaments. well, being that 10 of us shared a house in palm springs, and with all the activities at the LA Open, there was little to no time to knit. although somehow i did manage to lose one of my dpns somewhere between palm springs and LA...grrr

project particulars
pattern: go anywhere gloves from The Knitting Man(ual) by kristin spurkland (i made the fingerless version)
needles: clover bamboo sizes US 2 and US 3 dpns
yarn: koigu's kpppm, color p330; less than 1 skein

these were a breeze to knit, in total time and in difficulty. if i were to do them again though, i would probably knit up maybe an inch more after the cuff before starting the increases for the thumb, they feel a bit short for my lanky, err...graceful wrists. also, just for comfort i may do the little half fingers instead of just one big opening (it just feels a little strange). oh, and maybe plan things a little better - since spring has sprung, it hasn't been chilly enough in the mornings lately to need them in the office.

another recovery

2008-03-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

i am just about recovered from yet another weekend of tournament tennis (i was sore all day monday and could hardly stay awake while at work). this time, it was the LA Open where i entered in both singles and doubles, this being the first ever tournament i played singles in. although i lost first round of the main draw, and then went into consolation round (where i also lost) i had a lot of fun and it was a great experience, oh and of course i was able to watch all of the LB crew in their matches.

the tournament started on friday and was held at the vermont canyon courts, burbank tennis center, and the riverside courts. vermont and burbank are pretty nice places to play for different reasons. vermont canyon is in griffith park, so you get the trees and you play right up against the hills with a very nice backdrop. the burbank tennis center is a real tennis facility with a pro shop, and show courts for the exciting matches. riverside? that's a different story. it's right up against the 5 freeway so you can hardly hear any of the line calls or scores being said by the server. and nasty bathrooms. hello, how is a world class athlete supposed to prepare and change outfits?!?!

the group of us from the lakewood (LB) league stayed in a hotel in beverly hills, the Thompson (where the help all look like they are right out of some 20-somethings drama series) so that the drive to the courts at 7am weren't a nightmare.

we all attended the "banquet" saturday night at the sportsmans lodge where they had "entertainment" and "food". uhm, next year let's skip this event and therefor skip the unnecessary trips to the restroom the next day from the mystery meat. the swans were nice, but oddly enough when we left there seemed to be a lot less of them in the ponds. i love dennis to death and he did a great job organizing the tournament, but that banquet killed.

g and i once again paired for doubles, where we made it all the way to the semi-finals of the main draw. unfortunately we had to meet our good friends there, since they were also in the same part of the draw, and lost to them. we were happy though that they made it into the finals where they beat their opponents.

in all it was a great showing for us aside from the whispers about our outfits as we walked by about how we looked like we just broke out of prison, as our group went home with 5 trophies. way to go us. this is it for the month but there a still quite a few more tournaments in the works being that this is only march, but we're already talking and starting to plan the tournament schedule for 2009, there are a lot of fun places we'd like to go play in nationally and internationally.

FCS3

2008-03-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

i know, it's been a while since my last post. i have just recovered from the Palm Springs tennis tournament where we made it into the quarterfinals...only to be kicked out with a loss at 6-1, 6-4. luckily they had a consolation round, where we made it to the finals but then again lost to the #1 seeds. thankfully, we had a crowd of adoring fans (3 of our friends) and looked fabulous in our matching outfits.

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?
as a designer and creative person, my favorites are constantly changing. i guess it depends a lot on what i see around me, and the mood i am in. right now, i am totally into citrus-y colors: blood orange, tangerine, lime, lemon, grapefruit, etc. and perhaps it's the season but right now my eye is drawn towards deep rich pinks and reds.

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?
my absolute favorite has to be knitting. i have been known to also design and make cards. i'll do a sewing project every now and then.

3. What products do you really covet?
yarn. yarn. and yarn. hahahahah. and anything from apple.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?
tennis. digital photography. cooking. baking. designing.

5. Is there anything you collect?
nothing really, unless you consider an ever growing yarn stash as a "collection".

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?
scorpio and ram/sheep

7.What are your favorite…
…scents/smells?
scents...i guess would have to be citrus scents. my favorite candles are still the lemon and grapefruit kitchen candles from williams-sonoma (they also had a really great tomato one). they're so fresh smelling and not heavy and perfume-y. i guess there are some floral scents that i like too. it all depends what is producing the scent...i usually stay away from the fake, chemical smelling stuff...like the glade plug ins and things like that. i tend to like things that smell more natural.

…types of music and/or bands?
i really like all genres of music. except maybe gangsta rap and headbanger heavy metal.

…authors?
don't really have any favorites

…animals?
don't have any favorites.

…places to shop?
are you kidding? the gucci store. the gucci outlet store, even better. i LOVE places like sur la table, or surfas. i always go hog wild in a yarn store, oh and in target too.

…season?
like different things about different seasons. maybe the best answer would be the "rainy season"? since i love the rain so much. oh, and i hate the cold.

…yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?
anything actually that is natural fiber content. oh, and as long as it's not alpaca, mohiar, angora....too itchy for me.

…candies or goodies?
chocolate, most definitely. and maybe some black licorice. or those peach penguins. peanut M&Ms (dark). salt water taffy.

8. Do you have any wish lists?
yes, i do

9. Are you allergic to anything?
no allergies.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?
cat named MIUSEY

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.
i am really picky. i know, this is not a good trait to post on a secret pal questionnaire, but seriously. i am. i tend to like things that have an artistic or designer-y quality to them. if it's something that looks like a designer or artist made - things that are not mainstream tend to catch my eye. but then again there is also a fine line of looking too crafty and home made as well, i am a stickler for craftsmanship and attention to detail. unless it's funkified, then there's the exception. you know, there are ALWAYS exceptions. oh, and don't forget shiny or sparkly. i gotta love it. oh, and i am skogknits on ravelry

finally~

2008-03-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

a few things done.

it feels like it's been so long since i've had any fo's, it also feels good to get a couple of things off the needles. good lord, i just checked my ravelry and i started these suckers back in july. whaaat? 7 months to finish a pair of socks. and in a leap year no doubt. thank god for that extra day, otherwise who knows when they might have gotten done.

project particulars
pattern: jaywalker by grumperina
needles: lantern moons US size 1 sox stix dpns
yarn: koigu's kpppm, color p601; about 2.5 skeins

the jaywalker pattern is a great one to use with a variegated yarn, as it's pattern is simple enough to show off the yarn, but not too plain as to be boring.

i also got the first of the basic 5x1 rib socks done.

pretty straight forward, who knows when i'll cast on for the second. i've already started a new project, a pair of go anywhere fingerless gloves. i think what i've learned is that if i work on two different "pairs of something" concurrently, i can switch between the two and not lose interest in the project so quickly. so perhaps i'll work on the first of the go anywhere's for a bit more and then cast on for the second sock...i just have to hold myself back from starting a new pair of socks, which i am so tempted to do with my recent stash acquisitions.

sock obsession

2008-02-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

is it an obsession? perhaps since in the last couple of weeks i have added 11 hanks of sock yarn to a stash that already has enough sock yarn for at least 10 pairs. i am not sure, but one of my recent purchase(s) of sock yarn has spurred me to work on an old wip...the jaywalker.

it's been sitting on the back burner for a while with a case of second sock syndrome, but that didn't stop me from starting another sock (notice i said sock and not pair of socks?). it's a basic 5x1 ribbed sock with a 3x3 ribbed cuff, i am using some panda wool by crystal palace.

the panda wool is 46% bamboo, 43% wool, 11% nylon and it's great to work with and it has a nice loft to it. back to my obsession...i picked up four hanks of sock yarn at stitches west, i guess that's my project plan for this year - nothing but socks? not a bad idea to phase out store bought socks for handmade ones...of course, this brilliant scheme will change once malabrigo march starts.

surprise my VD

2008-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

while i was out getting my taxes done, a package arrived for me on valentine's day.

a great package at that!! it's from my malabrigo swap partner, megdoula on ravelry.

first and foremost, there are two skeins of malabrigo worsted in vetiver. i have always picked this colorway up at the lys's but have always put it back as other colors have always won out for one reason or another. i am glad that she picked it for me because i think i secretly loved it since it was ALWAYS a contender. the second best thing in there is a set of stitch markers that she made herself with felted beads, which she also made. amazing. she also included a great variety of coffees, some chocolate, my FAVORITE black licorice, and a pom-pon maker. and to top it off, look at that packaging - very green and sustainable!

thanks again megan!

stop calling me shirley

2008-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

i am making progress with the hexagon throw. i have been working on it in little bits after work at night, i am averaging about half a hex per night that i work on it.

slowly but surely...

and of course, being the ADD knitter that i am, i am working on other projects in between. i've started a new sock with some panda wool that was gifted to me last year. just a basic ribbed sock, i won't bore you with photos of that now, we all know what it looks like when only about three inches down.

my lys scored some new shibui sock yarn, 100% superwash merino and you know i could not pass any of it up.

why i am not martha

2008-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

because i am not patient enough....

ok, i made this cake to bring to a party last night...needless to say i did not take it. it was my first time using this frosting recipe as seen on martha's show...4c heavy cream, heat on very low with 24oz of chocolate...sounds delish right? then let cool to thicken in the fridge. i didn't wait long enough i guess because the frosting was thick, but still kind of runny....and it soaked into the cake and started splitting it. uhm, yeah. nice as it was about 45 mins before i had to leave for the party. so, imagine the rush of panic and disappointment that flooded over me.

i had the bright idea to use the frosting as a "glue" to hold the pieces together...yeah, that didn't work so well. the more frosting i added, the more it ran down the sides, and into the crevice which then caused it to split more as the two pieces slowly shifted apart.

i stuck it in the fridge and the cold air is what saved it, this morning you can see the structural damage the shifting caused right along the top edge of the cake. perhaps if i planned ahead and added expansion joints, at least it might have still looked pretty...

sweater saved?

2008-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

upon taking dave's advice, i decided to drag this striped sweater out from the bottom of the knitting bag and give blocking a try. after letting it soak in a nice bath last night, i have to say that it did help the wonkiness a bit.

although it's still noticeable i think i have convinced myself that i will move forward with it...being the perfectionist that i am, i have to keep reminding myself that these are the little things that give our projects that handmade character.

the worst thing that can happen is that i finish the thing and i end up frogging anyway. so what's the harm in at least giving it a fighting chance? the sacrifice of other projects, but that's ok. i'm all for giving the underdog a fighting chance.

bid farewell

2007-12-21T16:37:00.001-08:00

this is the last we'll see of the malabrigo striped sweater. i may try to knit him up again, but i am really not happy with my very very poor carrying technique. who would have thunk that carrying yarn in a knit-in-the-round piece was that much different than in a straight piece? and here i thought i was an expert after so successfully carrying on skerf's.

see where the stitch marker is? if you follow that up to the neck you can see the not only obvious bad carrying technique but the crooked "i can't carry straight up". what an embarassment! i guess the only thing straight up around here is my martini. so...i am going to frog the whole thing and i may attempt this sweater again, but perhaps knit in a different technique, like say, from the bottom up? or maybe in pieces and then seamed together? who knows what 2008 will bring...

coolass coolhats for coldheads

2007-12-19T23:37:00.000-08:00

ok, so there's 5 days left until christmas, and i clearly haven't done any more holiday gift knitting since my last post. i figured the gifts that are left to finish won't be delivered until the second week of january when i will personally hand deliver them when i am back in minneapolis, so i have plenty of time to finish them up.

in the meantime i have been working selfishly on new items i figure i NEED, since i will be out in typically 4F to 22F temps for that time of year.

yes, that is koolhaas. lovely design, especially since i am a huge fan of Rem Koolhaas. although this pattern is easy to get into a rhythm with, it's not a good one to work on when you can only dedicate yourself partially. in other words pay attention, otherwise you will end up with an unclosed cable.

it's knit up in ryc's cashsoft dk in color 00515 'tape'. lovely yarn to work with as it is super soft and glides effortlessly over bamboo needles, an absolute dream. as long as you are paying attention. or at least remember to stop and admire your work often, because if you wait until you think you are practically finished as you are just about to weave in those ends and decide to check out your skillz, you'll frustrate yourself to no end when you find a whole row of bad cabling due to one little missed stitch. thank you very much.

holiday knitting

2007-12-05T22:44:00.000-08:00

i've been able to knock off a few gifts - knock them off the list that is. as in, i've changed my mind as to how many hand knit gifts there are going to be this year. i came to the realization that knitting under stress and pressure is knot enjoyable, and if it's knot enjoyable then it's knot worth knitting.

however, i have been able to complete an earflap hat family and they are ready to be sent:

these earflap hats are going to my sister, brother in law and niece in ohio. of course, i kept all the colors in the same family since the hats are all going to the same family. HA~! i am full of them tonite, aren't i?

i've made progress on the striped malabrigo sweater - i am about a third of the way down but i have stopped production as i am not sure i am liking my craftsmanship. because it's knit in the round and has horizontal stripes at regular intervals, i am carrying the yarn and my technique for carrying yarn while knitting in the round is yet to be desired. i can CLEARLY notice where my carrying is happening and it bothers me. plus, i can sadly say that i didn't choose a very wise place to carry. on the bright side, thanks to the advice of jason, i have resolved the issue of the little jogs where the color change happens.

no photos until i can decide what to do...frog or continue.

a striped...??

2007-11-19T00:33:00.001-08:00

ok, this is all that i have been working on this week:

it doesn't look like much, but already i have frogged and started over 4 times, and tinked back several rows, i don't know how many times...

at first i was using the incredible, custom-fit raglan sweater formula. i got down to joining the circle, and decided that i didn't like that neck opening and wanted to do a more standard ribbed neck. so then i went to my trusty knitting from the top book by barbara walker. i followed her tutorial a couple of times, modifying my version each time i restarted.

now, finally i am contemplating frogging once again, because a) i am worried that i don't have enough yarn to complete a whole sweater, in which case i may end up making a vest. and b) i am not liking the color jogs in the striping as i am knitting in the round. if i end up doing the vest, this wont be a huge issue since i can always place the color changes down one of the sides, under the arm. i guess it's worth searching the internet-s for tips on how one might avoid these ugly little color jogs. any tips?

(oh, and in case you were wondering, yes there will be some orange detailing in this piece as well. the yarn is malabrigo worsted in olive, bobby blue, and rhodesian)

why i woke up with a migraine...

2007-11-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

which was caused by my annoying smoke detectors...

at around 4am the smoke detector in the master bedroom started beeping. at first i didn't know what it was as i woke up thinking, "did i dream that i heard a beep or was that really a beep?" i laid there trying to go back to sleep and what seemed like a minute later it happened again. there was that high pitched beep. i realized that it was the smoke detector and knew that when it does that it means it needs to be reset.

i climbed out of bed, ran into the office and got a chair and climbed up to press the button to reset it. nothing happened. it continued to beep 15 seconds later, and at this point at 15 second intervals. meanwhile, i am thinking "damn it why does this have to happen at 4am". so then i remembered, "oh, perhaps you are supposed to hold it down for like 10 seconds to reset it." so i press the button again, and after holding it down continuously, it makes a constant beeeeeeep. which then triggers off the one in the next room (in this case the hallway) to go off. which then triggers the next one to go off. chain reaction. so of course i am sooooo irritated at this point because there i am standing on a chair in the dark pressing a button and all the smoke detectors in my house are going off. i decide, ok maybe i'm supposed to hold the button for 15 seconds and not 10. thank god it worked.

by this point i am totally awake and couldn't fall back asleep. of course i laid there tossing and turning. finally when i felt comfortable and had my eyes closed, i noticed a light/dark light/dark seemingly flashing happening. i open my eyes and sure enough, there is a strobe going off outside. i get up to look and there is a police car right at the corner of my house, and a paramedic truck in the driveway across the street. i see the cop go running across the street from the paramedic truck to his patrol car, grabs something out of there and starts flashing a light around. i thought, oh shit there's someone running around the neighborhood they are trying to pursue. i hear a woman's voice shout "over here!" as a firetruck comes racing down the street with an ambulance in tow...all this without sirens. since i am already up and looking i continue to watch. needless to say, it was just someone who had to be taken away in an ambulance around the corner...no fire or major excitement for me to watch.

so by now it's like 5am and i know i have to get up at 6, but i am so irritated and tired that i decide to lay there and try to relax. by the time the alarm went off, i had fallen asleep and i decided that i would lie there for a few minutes before i got up and at that point realized that my head was killing me.

whew. how is that story for an excuse to call in for work? at least i will be able to test if knitting can help calm a throbbing head.

quick update

2007-11-11T18:36:00.000-08:00

i have managed to finish noro striped skerf #2:

there is a slight color shift from noro striped skerf #1:

which i've done intentionally by switching one of the alternating colorways since these will be going to the same family of friends. i need to get the third one done (which i will switch out the second new colorway in hopes of creating a varied continuity in the lot) in order to check them off the list.

FINALLY...progress is being made to the vest for G (yeahyeahyeah, don't even ask me about the second jaywalker sock):

lastly, but not leastly...i've gotten a little further on the hexagon throw. i had to put it aside for the moment to try and get a few other time sensitive things done.

not sure how long this one will be on the back burner (probably until after the holidays). my intention is to have it fit my queen sized bed by the time all is said and done.

mystery yarn

2007-10-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

speaking of swag, my mother just got back from PRoC and brought back this skein of sock yarn for me. problem is, none of us can read chinese so we don't have any idea what it is. i am guessing ram? there's definitely the wool symbol on the band.

it's got some really nice color variation in it, it's four ply with one strand of dark chocolate brown, one strand of a grey-ish brown, and two strands of a grey-ish purple-y lavender.

in other knitting news
i actually have knitting updates...

earlier in the year i bought gankloads of noro silk garden in colorway 249 with the intention of knitting up a blanket. i had visions of a chevron pattern but i got too excited with the colorway i just could not wait to delve in. so i cast on for a sweater vest and quickly got bored of what i was doing. so it sat in the back of the closet until this month when i decided to frog the whole thing and actually start that blanket.

the pattern is inspired by the hexagon bag pattern by Norah Gaughan from Knit Simple Magazine, Fall 2007.

speaking of sweater vests, i've done a little more work on the vest for G. he's been asking about it so i guess it's due time to add another row or two...

swags o comin'

2007-10-19T21:19:00.000-07:00

as i sit here waiting to leave for the airport i am creating a new blog post with my window open. outside, i hear hoards of people screaming and cheering at first reminding me of the sounds of folks on a roller coaster, the sound coming in waves. then i realize, i live nowhere near a theme park. ok, perhaps there's a carnival somewhere nearby? sad, i sit here in my house in front of a computer when there are clown faces to shoot water guns at in hopes of making that balloon pop.

perhaps it's that sports stadium in town...i hear becks is back from injury, yeah that's what i hear. oh wait. that stadium is more than 5 miles away.

upon closer inspection, i.e. all my windows open and me running from room to room peering my head out on all sides of the house i discover it must be one of the local high schools - football game? - marching band competition? i hear 'bring it on' music. i hear cheers in waves. yeah, that's what it is...it's not the carnies coming to take me away at all.

earlier this week, a second installment of my SP11 exchange came in. TOTALLY excited about this package...four skeins of panda wool by crystal palace. i have been eyeing bamboo yarns for a while now but you know how it goes, coveting new yarn but reasoning with yourself to restrain unless you have a project in mind. i could never think of something to make with it. sometimes, you just need a swift kick in the arse...or someone to gift it to you. i LOVE the color variation in this yarn, it has a slight sheen along with the blue and greyish-blue stranding it gives off the illusion of glimmer or sparkle, both of which i adore.

along with the yarn is a packet of licorice pastilles (yum.) chocolate covered coffee beans and a bar of lindt chocolate with hazelnuts, some various notions, and my absolute favorite? halloween themed pencils. oh, and i can't forget the little treats for kitty. every single thing in this package is perfect - somehow, my secret pal KNOWS me. thanks sp!!

first FOs for fall

2007-10-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

just in time for halloween, i finished a few things to send off to my little niece.

meet bubby. this being los angeles, the land where many strive for "perfection", this little lovely might have to go under the knife. look at that face!! by no means would this one survive in the land of wanna be starlettes, just look in the back of an la weekly. heck forget the back on almost every other page (!!) there are ads for "personal enhancement". bananas. i think i have talked myself out of it. the face is fine, it's full of character - it looks like a kid's drawing...or my first attempt at embroidery. however you want to look at it.

oh, and i mustn't forget the candy corn hat!!

it's made from lion brand's microspun in lily white, mango, and buttercup. [dodging eggs] i know, i know but being a kid's hat and all it's perfect for throwing into the washing machine. AND surprisingly it's super soft (for microfiber acrylic) and actually wasn't a nightmare to knit with....

give me a P, give me an O, give me....eh, ferget it

2007-09-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

ok, so here's the question, do i like the pompom made the old-fashioned manual way:

or do i need to get a pompom maker:

the above photo courtesy of roy, my new knitterboypupil. the pompoms he made were put together using the small sizes of clover pompom makers. the prior photo is a hat i am making for my niece, the photo doesn't show the sparkly-ness of the blue yarn which is so cute, with a pompom made by me the manual way, with a debit card of course!! what do you guys think, should i invest in a pompom maker or keep to the messy tussled look?

sp11 swag-one

2007-09-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

hurray! a package from my secret pal came this week!

inside, was a great skein of sock yarn hand dyed by my secret pal herself. loverly! some black licorice...which is SO divine. some delicious chocolate, and finally a tin of mice bathed in catnip.

thanks for the great package secret pal, and for thinking of miusey while you were at it, she went CRAZY for the meeces!

too little, too soon

2007-09-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

too little:

yes, that's what's in my freezer right now. and yes, i do have an ice cream maker that makes delicious ice cream. but you know what? sometimes i just get lazy. that and i don't have all the ingredients to make whatever flavor hits my mood at any given moment!

too soon:
i finished knitting a small batch of holiday gifts. i won't show them now, they still need to be blocked to look pretty for the camera. plus i have a lot more to go so i might as well wait and shoot the lot together.

too little:
knitting that is. due to a recent (minor) wrist injury coupled with the US Open going on the last two weeks, i have been taking it easy on the knitting. keeping it simple with the noro striped scarf #1 and the simple stockinette stitch hats holiday projects. i did attempt a start at a new project though, i knit up a small swatch to measure gauge...took a look at the swatch, decided which tension i prefered with which needle size and ripped it out. as soon as i started casting on for the project i realized i hadn't done a stitch count. great. so i reknit another swatch. good lord, venus williams' new outfits are too distracting for knitting!! thank god i was of sound mind...or was there not US Open that day, that i was able to start the project - it's a super yummy vest knit up from malabrigo in the violetta's colorway. photos to come when it's further along.

old dogs, new tricks

2007-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

men's knit night part one.

last wednesday we had our first session of knitting night down in the hood. that's right, in my town there's an ikea, david beckham at the home depot center, and a bunch of skogs knitting. well, there's one skog knitting and two learning. but i must say, they've caught on quite quickly, check out roy's progress by the next day:

he started the night before at my place and got almost an inch and a half done, after putting down his practice swatch and cast-on for the first time for knitting in the round. not bad to attempt for a first project, eh? by the end of the night i didn't have the heart or the energy to tell him how crappy his ribs were, he concentrated so hard at getting the rhythm down...he actually knew it but we were all too tired to verbally acknowledge it, so the next day he frogged the whole thing and started fresh:

and by friday:

he's been doing great with decreasing for the crown, and i even showed him how to transfer from circs to dpns. tonight is session two and we'll get that puppy off the needles. we've got two more interested in learning tonight and by the time i'm through i'll have a men's knitting circle even if i have to create one from scratch myself!!

and there IS knitting!

2007-08-24T16:43:00.001-07:00

the right jaywalker is done, working on the left now. i was kind of surprised by the way the fit of this sock turned out, as i was reading in blogland a lot of jaywalkers said that this sock came out a bit snug and small. i found this sock to be loose actually! i am using koigu and although the label recommends using a US3, i am actually knitting on a US1. and i am making the smallest size the pattern calls for. upon examination of the finished piece, my tension is not a bit loose, so i can't figure it out. i am going to continue with the left and see how it goes.

i've started on my holiday gift knitting:

a series of hats will go to recipients in the colder regions, and of course i could not resist the noro striped scarf craze that is going around. i had to jump on that bandwagon thanks to jared - he's an inspiration to us all!!

sp11 questionnaire

2007-08-15T00:47:00.000-07:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
i like wool, wool blends, cotton, mostly any type of natural fibres. i don't care for angora or mohair, too itchy and alpaca usually has too many loose fibres. i also don't care for novelty yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
right now i have the clover needle case. i like it because it's not fussy, although...it's PLASTIC. but so far that is the nicest thing i could find (from a product design standpoint)

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
i started knitting about 7 years ago, my room mate at the time was an avid knitter, and she was always making some very cool things. so one trip back home to visit my family, i asked my mother and grandmother to show me how to knit. when i returned home i was excited to sit and knit with my room mate. i would say that i am probably an advanced-intermediate knitter now, i have done a lot of scarves, blankets and a few sweaters, but i am currently doing my first lace item....still not advanced enough to even THINK about intarsia!!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
yes, i do. http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1IHEIV9UD2JMS/

5. What's your favorite scent?
i am pretty particular about scents. for example, i love almond scent. but depending on the quality of the product, it sometimes can smell more nutty other times more like cherries. i think in general, i like things that smell "clean" and i don't mean necessarily like soap, but not heavy and perfume-y, or too complex. i also like citrus scents. my favorite candles are still the lemon and grapefruit kitchen candles from williams-sonoma. they're so fresh smelling. i guess there are some floral scents that i like too. it all depends what is producing the scent...i usually stay away from the fake, chemical smelling stuff...like the glade plug ins and things like that. i tend to like things that smell more natural.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
yes, i love chocolate mainly. chocolate covered nuts, any kind. especially dark chocolate. probably my favorite candy though would have to be a toss up between salt water taffy (all flavors) and black licorice (such as licorice all-sorts). ooo or those peach penguins.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
nothing crafty at the moment other than knitting. no spinning going on here. i just bought some bare cashmere, next step is to order some dyeing supplies. i have been reading a lot in blogland about it and am about ready to take the plunge.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
yes, and all kinds of music except gangsta rap and headbanger metal.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
don't really have favorites. i am the type that i like things depdending on my mood at the moment. this applies to color too. but, some colors i really don't like are the flourescents that were really popular during the 80's. teal and burgundy combinations, peach and mint, hahaha....i guess all the bad stuff from the 80's. that's not to say i wouldn't go for something burgundy or mint or teal, there are a lot of good colors out there but it really depends on the intensity, richness, the undertones that make up the color.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
single with a partner and a cat!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
scarves...sometimes. not that often living in l.a.!! no hats, or mittens or ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
hmm. again, depends on my mood, what pattern i may happen across, who needs a gift....lol

13. What are you knitting right now?
hmm. a flower basket shawl, a jaywalker sock, an earflap hat, a birdie, a candle flame shawl...oh, and a scarf. hey, what can i say it's august and i'm starting my holiday gifts.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
depends on the item. i am not one who is fond of things that don't have a specific purpose.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
both straights and circs. definitely material of choice is bamboo...although i must say i did buy my first pair of addi circulars for the lace projects, and i am growing quite fond of them!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
yes, to both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
gads....2yrs. and i didn't even include that in question 13.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
halloween. for the decor really. second is christmas. again for the decor.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
yarn. yarn. and yarn. hahahahah. good italian shoes. oh!! i am a sucker for hair products, and anything kiehls.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
i have a subscription to Craft:. see my amazon wish list to see any books i desire.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
not at the moment

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
yes!! i am now. size 8 men's

23. When is your birthday?
nov 14

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
yes, i am. you can look me up as skogknits

moving swiftly along

2007-08-03T16:30:00.001-07:00

recently i ordered some great sock yarn from yarn nerd, and became totally frustrated at the knots that formed as i was trying to make a cake from the hank. perhaps it's my knobby knees that the hank was rested on as i was winding on my ball winder or perhaps i was paying too much attention to victoria beckham in welcome to america...but i had to snap the yarn and got three balls out of it in frustration:

lesson learned: sometimes it's nice to do things by hand, you get that really involved feeling in the end, you can take ownership and pride in the project. a real sense of one with your craft. other times, it's worth the money, the time, and your sanity to invest in tools to help you get the job done. enter, the almighty swift:

i've held out a long time, convincing myself that i don't need one. well, you know what? my life is so much easier now, and to prove it, here she is in action:

and perhaps i went a little hog wild in the process?

this is not all that needs to be wound in my stash, i do have to show a little self control after all.

sp10 revealed

2007-08-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

my final package from my secret pal arrived on monday, and i have to say i am totally stoked with this package! it's got a nice creative mix of things, things that i like but would never purchase for myself. i love that sort of package, and i always try to keep that in mind when i am buying gifts for other people. when i am out and about and in a cute shop i am constantly seeing things that i like, but i would never buy for myself...i try to pick things like that for gifts. things the recipient may not purchase for themself.

i digress, the contents of my final package:

one of my favorite things in there is the casaviva magazine she picked up while in columbia, and the lavender jagger spun 'zephyr'. thanks so much secret pal!!

let "them" (meaning me) eat cake

2007-07-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

so, i did actually run out of yarn for those jaywalkers. i have about an inch more to go, before starting the toe decreases. i mean, i have the yarn for the second sock. but if i use that now, i am going to end up with one full sized jaywalker, and one ankle sock. how loverly. because i am so close to the toe-cap, and i probably won't find the same dye lot i could potentially do a different color toe, although i am feeling like the toe-cap AND another inch may look a bit strange. well, i will go to the LYS and see what they have. you never know, one lonely hank of the same colorway and same dye lot might be hanging around.

so in other knitting news, progress has been made to the flower basket shawl. i'll spare everyone photos right now since unblocked lace is just unblocked lace. how interesting can it be...

i almost forgot to mention!!! i've added to my stash with some lovelies from yarn nerd

i can't wait to start knitting with this stuff, i just love the colorways!!

knitting going on?

2007-07-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

yes, there's been knitting. not much, since we were in the midwest for a sort of mini-vacation last week. while wandering through the gardens of the newly remodeled museum, i stumbled across this interesting sculpture...

could it be an actual larger-than-life skein of yarn? i'll never know since i wasn't smart enough to read the placquard about the piece. can anyone guess where we were? here's a hint, the city was founded by this man, a belgian in fact!!

that's right, father hennepin whose statue is located right in front of the basilica of st. mary.

that should be enough to give it away. if you still haven't figured it out, here's a dead giveaway...one of the most famous icons of the city

as far as actual knitting goes? i decided to frog the anastasia socks - after several attempts i couldn't get a grasp of the wrap and turn technique of a toe-up. i kept getting these strange holes, let's call them eyelets, on one side of the toe cap. instead, i started a jaywalker from the top down, and of course now i am freaking out because i feel as if i am going to run out of yarn and i am not even halfway through the foot!!

new projects on board

2007-07-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

i have once again retired my cardigan to the back of the closet. don't ask me, i don't know. i guess i am just not that interested in it since i won't be able to use it as soon as it's done. but then again, it would go in the back of the closet until cooler days if it were...typical to my nature, i am just procrastinating on it once again. perhaps it's my lack of interest in seaming?

speaking of seaming, i have started "birdie" from Hand Knits for Kids, by lucinda guy.

there is a lot of seaming involved in this project as well, but perhaps since it will be a gift that will motivate me to get it done - take the baby blanket for example.

i've also started my first toe-up socks, it's the anastasia socks pattern by mintyfresh.

so far i've only gotten up to the first sock toe cap. then i had to put it down because i have been meaning to start on a shawl for a friend for some time now, and since i couldn't decide on a pattern i just started two simulatneously. these will surely get done before the cardigan, there's no seaming involved.

flower basket shawl from interweave knits (fall 2004) by evelyn e. clark

and the candle flame shawl by dean crane

i am loving the candle flame pattern, but i think for the gift i will stick with the flower basket pattern, simply because it's more of a true lace pattern which i am sure will look 100% better once it's done and blocked. oh, and a word of advice: don't attempt to knit lace while watching wimbledon - or be prepared to try to edit a lot of mishaps. wowZa. not a pretty sight.

WHEW. that's about it for now. i'll let you know how progress goes. here's to summer knitting!!

the end is near

2007-07-01T23:46:00.001-07:00

well, for socks #2 it's already here.

i've also finally finished the blanket:

this blanket was knit in strips 35 sts across, changing colors every 48 rows to reduce seaming all the squares together. the strips were then seamed together and the blanket was blocked as a whole. the yarn is GGH Solitaire - 44% wool, 43% acrylic and 13% elite for ease of washing. knitting in strips definitely cut my seaming time down, but man were there a lot of ends to weave in...

but the exciting news is that the pieces for my cardigan are finally blocking.

i can't wait to get this thing done, yet i am not really looking forward to all the seaming, especially since the temps have been going up and is forcasted to continue to rise. yet, to celebrate i cast on a toe-up sock. well, what else was i to do with everything else on the blocking boards?!??

it's been a long time coming...

2007-06-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

as in this post? no. well, perhaps that too. BUT, as in...i finally cast off the last sleeve of my cardigan (sans hood).

i need to add the trim to one more pocket opening, sew the two pocket flaps on, and then i can block the pieces before seaming. once seaming is done, i will knit in the collar. still seems eons away, but i am determined to get it done before casting on another new project.

i've also managed to finish the left (or is is the right ?) of socks #2.

i am very happy with this sock, as there are no holes in the gusset area!! woohoo.

hopefully, this means that i have figured out how to avoid these holes, or i just got lucky and it didn't happen. i like to think it's the former. now the dilemma is...is casting on for the second sock count as casting on a new project before getting my cardigan done?!?!

the beauty of it all

2007-06-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

the kangaroo paws are in full force. checked in on the mandarin and the apples...no visible change within one week, maybe i am getting impatient now.

another SP10 swag package came last week. i haven't been able to take photos until today:

i love all the great stuff my secret pal put into the package...a lot of thought had gone into it. i am totally thrilled that my SP included things that represent very good causes and groups. for example, the blue mesh you see there is actually an eco bag...to bring shopping to avoid waste with bags given by the stores, we need to do all we can to help reduce waste. the soap (chocolate scented, btw) and chocolate body butter are both locally made. the brownie mix is from the women's bean project...a group that employs women who come from backgrounds of chronic unemployment and poverty. and of course the overall theme of this package is chocolate. lots and lots of lovely chocolate. oh, and i can't forget my most favorite thing...the knitters', crocheters', weavers' & spinners' travel guide.

now i can plan my summer vacations according to where the fibers are!! thanks secret pal!!!

taking notice

2007-05-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

after planting my garden nearly 3 years ago, this is the first year that my apple tree has had any blossoms.

in fact, up until this year, the tree was literally a twig sticking out of the ground with maybe two or three leaves each year. it was so sad, i thought for sure this tree wasn't going to make it. low and behold, more and more leaves came...and by more i mean there's something like 15 on the tree total. poor her. anyway, i was totally surprised when i saw a few small buds earlier this spring on there, and now it's got some nice blossoms. not a lot, since there are probably only about 3 or 4 small branches growing on that twig. totally charlie brown christmas tree like. imagine my surprise when i noticed this weekend that there are already a couple of apples growing on the tree!! i mean first of all why i just noticed them now, i have no idea...but oddly, look how they are growing on the tree:

upwards!! toward the sky!! how am i supposed to invent gravity if they are hanging up and not down? wait, those ARE apples aren't they?

the mandarin tree is starting to bear fruit as well. a little late compared to the lemon and the lime trees...i've already had a crop of lemons and a small amount of limes this year (we've been making lots of lemony dessert goodness around here). i suppose though, those came early since my citrus has usually come during the summer. ok, and these are sort of a surprise too since i haven't noticed any blossoms on the mandarin tree and suddenly now i am seeing little froo-its on her?

ok, so there actually HAS been knitting going on around here. progress has been made to the blanket i am working on. i am hoping to get this baby done soon:

hittin' the stash

2007-05-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

amongst the wall of jasmine i have directly outside my dining room, there is a climbing rose - it's a joseph's coat. every year it's gotten full and lush with tons of flowers all over it. for some reason, this year she has been overtaken by the jasmine and has very few leaves. every here and there throughout the wall of green and white of the jasmine, you see spots of orange flowers popping out:

the flowers are quite stunning in color, although this variety of rose produces a pretty small flower. once they open, they only last a few days, and they start to turn a rich red color.

since i have finished socks #1, i have started on socks #2. this pair will be for G:

they are moving pretty fast, but i had to put them down for a bit to work on one of the blankets i have had spinning around in my head. since i have so much yarn in my stash - all with a specific purpose - and i started buying yarn for this year's holiday gifts, i figured that i had to get started on one of these blankets. i am knitting this one in strips, because i am too lazy to sew all the squares together, i decided why not cut the seaming time in half?

mondays aren't so bad...

2007-05-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

when you have to wake up at 4:30 am to be at the airport...which then causes you to be in the office by 5:53 am, you get to leave at 4 pm. which means you just beat the beginning of the height of rush hour traffic. the sun's still out, the birds are still chirping, and the scent of jasmine and roses is in the air. if you are lucky enough, you get to enjoy a bit of knitting outside after a long day of sitting in an office. unfortunately i was too exhausted to knit...but i was able to sit and just relax a bit and took the time to actually SMELL the roses...

i was able to finish socks #1 last friday, i only got to take photos today since this weekend was G and my doubles tennis tournament. we lost, but it was our first tournament ever AND our first time playing doubles as partners so it was a lot of fun. we made it through 4 rounds of tennis in two days, and we were able to figure out what our weaknesses are and will be working on them for the next tournament. it's always easy to know what you are doing wrong, but hard to fix them especially when in the middle of a match.

i digress...

and yes, there really IS two of them.

YAY! i haven't succumbed to second sock syndrome. can i say that i am already addicted to knitting socks? i already have the yarn for 5 more pair. yeah. i say that now, but so far i've only just finished my first pair using worsted weight, and started my second...in worsted weight. i am putting off using REAL sock yarn for the next pair, when i am a bit more confident in my sock making skills, perhaps then size 1 needles won't seem so daunting.

happy 10 yrs to me

2007-05-07T22:38:00.000-07:00

just look at what i walked into at the office this AM...

yes, that's my work area. good lord. the chairman of the board (formerly our president, you know - took a step up) came up to me and asked..."so do you know who did this?" yes, i do know, so i told him. then he said "...if it were me, i'd be embarassed..." i told him this is exactly what my house looks like. ALL THE TIME.

come to think of it, my workstation is a pig stye. it's just enhanced all that much more by all the "ribbons" as G called it.

happy cinco de mayo

2007-05-05T15:24:00.000-07:00

today's a big day for more than just the mexican soldiers who smashed the french and traiter mexican army, it's my 10 year anniversary at the company i work for. oh great, i am going to get a plaque at the all-office lunch meeting on monday. i guess i better think of something kind to say in front of all my peers. how about finish up your tamale and get back to work, i have deadlines. today is also one of the diamond club member's birthday and it's also that same person's wedding anniversary. so for that, let's eat some tacos.

not a lot of knitting getting completed around here, but certainly a lot has been going on. i've decided to take a sock class at my LYS, since i have been wanting to do socks but just couldn't self motivate to learn on my own. so i figured do it in a semi-social setting and i am forced to start. and so far, i am loving it. behold, my first sock:

and thusly, my first hole:

because i was afraid of catching second sock syndrome, i am concurrently knitting both socks:

since this class has been going on inside the actual store, i couldn't help but pick up some things to add to my stash after each class. after all, we do get a discount for taking the class....last week i picked up a bunch of malabrigo in some new colorways, and this week i couldn't resist the new shipment of rio de la plata's multicolor plied merino DK:

i have no idea what i am going to do with this stuff, i just fell in love with the colorway at the shop. now i am having second thoughs about it though, since i found 2 knots, and 2 portions where the ply was so thin that it was on the verge of breaking, hence the several small cakes you see. i may just have to bring this stuff back and trade it in for more malabrigo. i am playing with the idea of doing a blanket in malabrigo...HOW DIVINE!

in other knitting, i have been making little to no progress on the summer dress for my niece. actually, i have been doing two rows per night....it's THAT boring. the top portion of the dress is really cute, with a little more in the patterning and stitches, but for the lower portion it's just boring ole stockinette:

lastly, i have been working on the last sleeve for my cardigan (sans hood).

willi EVER get this thing done!?!?

whew

2007-04-17T16:26:00.000-07:00

...it fits!!

i was so worried that it looked too small after i was done seaming all the pieces together. i even went out for a meal with some friends, who also have infants/toddlers, and i was trying to eye them up for size. when i got home and looked at it one more time i thought definitely it was going to be too small. i sent it off anyway, and thanks to connor's mom, we have photos!!

isn't he cute with his two little teeth?

knitting amongst the flowers

2007-04-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

ok, ok. so not literally amongst the flowers, but next to a few? i am up in san jose right now, today's my grandmother's 87th birthday. i spent the afternoon sitting out in the back knitting with her...and those are her orchids. it's so relaxing knitting in the spring sun, with the smell of jasmine in the air and the sound of a stream gently trickling by. i am thinking i need to have one put in my backyard back home...

i've started on my niece's summer dress...now i KNOW i will definitely get this thing done before summer gets here.

oh, and i happened to catch a candid shot of my mother walking by. not the greatest shot, but kind of funny...

s p 1 0 s w a g

2007-04-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

a package was delivered to me today...

and of course i got so excited knowing that it was from my secret pal.

first and foremost the gorgeous yarn!!! and it's 100% superwash merino. i just may have to start searching around the internets to find more of it, i have a feeling that it's wanting to be something more than what one hank could provide....=P yeah thanks secret pal, for making me add to my stash!! HA~

there are a couple of soaps thrown in there...looks like it may have been hand made by my SP?!?! not sure, but they are HILARIOUS. i am totally going to take a bath with it when i get home. some cardinal stickers. a pin with the US and VA state flags, a little pamphlet on virginia, the candle you all see....and of course some very delicious easter candy. (and my favorite _dark_ chocolate!!)

thanks pal for the fun and quirky package!!!

having a SEAMINGLY good time

2007-04-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

saturday morning was filled with anticipation, as i was eagerly looking forward to finishing the baby hoodie i have been slowly but surely working on. (stop calling me shirley!) i finally cast off the last portion this week, and i had to keep my knitter's ADD in check, as i was so tempted to start working on that summer dress for my niece, and the baby blanket for a friend who's due late summer, and the socks i have been wanting to start, oh and fixing that god-awful vest i have cast aside...amongst all the other projects i have buzzing around in my mind.

so i gathered up all the pieces, got my coffee started, and was ready to begin the finishing.

by noon i had the front and back together, seamed at the shoulders, and the right sleeve attached.

a few hours and a couple of episodes of planet earth later... voile! the baby hoodie is done!

this little cutie is knit up in rowan's all seasons cotton; - 60% cotton/40% acrylic microfibre, in keen. perfect for baby wear, since it is machine washable. now that i am looking at the finished garment, i am hoping that it's not too small for little connor, yikes!

** addendum:
due to popular demand: yes, there is a pattern that i used - it is the hooded sweater from "special knits" by debbie bliss. there are lots of great, simple patterns in this book.

giving in to temptation

2007-03-25T23:03:00.000-07:00

i just couldn't resist....

oh what a beautfiul morning...

2007-03-25T11:48:00.000-07:00

...oh what a wonderful day

the birds are chirping. the sun is out. the flowers are blooming....and i have this:

my current, favorite project - a hoodie for my friend's 18 month old son in minneapolis. it's really fun to work on, since it's a small project it's going pretty fast. because of the varigation, it really helps make knitting up in the old stockinette stitch less boring. i am using rowan's 'all seasons cotton', in the keen colorway. i love the color, as it reminds me of my childhood summer days up at the lakehouse with my grandparents. and since my grandmother is one of the people who taught me to knit...AND her favorite ice cream is the orange sherbet/vanilla mix....i should be knitting this up for her!

oh, and as you may have noticed, i finally ordered a "men who knit" mug!!

you don't have to be a star, baby...to be on my show

2007-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

last week we had a men's night at my LYS, where yourLA came to do a segment on the shop, and the men's knitting group. it was a great time, and i finally got to meet some of my blogland friends in real life. the host of the segment interviewed a bunch of us, i have a feeling that my bit will be cut since i kept forgetting the rules of being in front of a camera....NEVER look into the camera, unless of course that's the intended style of the bit. BUT, being as i am used to talking in group settings, i kept looking at the others sitting around the table as i was being interviewed. number one rule in the business world, is to make eye contact with the group as you are adressing questions and comments. well, this isn't the case when there is a camera amongst the crowd. makes for bad TV.

anyway, take a look at jason's blog for more photos of the night. oh, and if you are in LA, tune into the local NBC station this week to catch the segment!!

**photos courtesy of jasonknits

i'm a loser baby, so why don't you kill me?

2007-03-20T00:06:00.000-07:00

oh guess what, someone in my office was selling some raffle tickets all last month for a local high school, they are trying to raise money to send some of the students down to brazil to study the river and it's effects on the ecosystem.....so i bought 5...at a buck a piece. it was for a good cause. but get this...first prize was a 42" LCD HDTV, and second prize....? a nail treatment at some nail salon. HA! what a huge difference. anyway, i have been working on a bunch of stuff for the president of our company....a submission we were asked to exhibit for this weekend's conference he was attending, and some presentation he's giving at another conference wednesday. anyway, he comes up to me this morning and says CONGRATULATIONS. and i am like, heuh? what's he talking about. he said "i guess you haven't heard", and i am thinking what...did his presentation get cancelled so i don't have to stay all night to get the damned thing done? i said, "uhm...no." he shakes my hand, and he said "YOU WON". i am like what?!? he said, "the raffle. you won". still confused, i'm thinking oh great...just what i need...corn chip nail tips!! he said, you won....the TV!!!. i was like, na-uh. hahhahahaha. seriously, no one has contacted me about it yet. so i have my doubts. but SUPPOSEDLY i won!!! and i have been researching these things for the last couple of weeks since i got my tax refund! this thing is gonna look sweet in my knitting, err...living room!!

switchin' 2 swatchin'

2007-03-19T23:31:00.000-07:00

so to clear my mind from any frustration caused by my own miscalculations (since i am such a horrible asian - what a disgrace, i can't do math) i am putting the vest aside and setting my sights on some new deliciousness:

i'm working on two new projects. a little dress for my niece to wear to a wedding coming up in a few months, and a hoodie a freind of mine in minneapolis has just commissioned me to do for her little son. all this goodness is really fun to work with, the colors are totally summer....reminding me of all the sherbet and ice cream jell-o my grandmother used to make us up at the lakehouse.

i'll be blocking these suckers up tomorrow to figure out the REAL gauge and i am going to be sure to make extensive notes even on small projects such as these, just to avoid any more frustration. seriously though, i am beginning to think that perhaps there was (dare i say) an error in the pattern that i was trying to follow? no, i am sure it was probably just me....sigh

that d*mned vest

2007-03-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

do you remember that "problem" i was having with my gauge calculations? well, here is the solution that i came up with. i think it's a nice detail that brings out the dark bits in the varigation of the yarn.

well, i must have been totally sloshed when i was workin' on this project...i totally forgot to adjust for the difference in guage when it came to the neck hole. i followed the shaping of a pattern from "knitting with balls", but i guess it totally slipped my mind (or i was totally drunk) that i was using a different yarn (and different pattern at that) than what's in the book. so, by the time i added the ribbing around the neck hole, and bound off...the opening was sooooo small. i thought perhaps i just bound off too tightly. so i took it apart, and redid the 2k,2p ribbing around the neck and painstakingly did a knit two, purl two bind off. which, as expected, produced a much looser edge, but not enough to allow a head through.

so, once again i have pulled out the ribbing at the neckhole, and i am in the process of un-seaming the shoulders....i am going to tink the left and right front panel down to where the neckhole begins, and reknit using a much more agressive decrease sequence. other than THAT....i am totally loving this vest, the colorway and the pattern is great, i just can't wait to wear it!!

FCS2 swag

2007-03-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

it finally arrived!!! a great package from my FCS2 pal, polly from across the pond!!

first and foremost, my absolute favorite, fruit pastilles!!! the minute i opened the package, i devoured a tube of them. i cannot resist these things, they are THE best. then my favorite of all chocolates....cote d'or!! seriously, ever since i have been to belgium, i cannot accept any other grocery store brand. in fact, gaetan brings back literally 50 bars every time he goes over there. that and leonidas. yes, they are available here, but hello....it's just not the same. but i digress....there's more to the swag!!

a package of douwe egberts coffee (the brand of my senseo pods), a pair of knitting needles that her mom "made" that have a great sparkly top, some of annie's (i am not sure who annie is) homespun sock yarn - i guess now i have no excuse not to start on my first pair of socks - in a great lime-y green with a hint of yellow poking through the background, 2 hanks of a great rowanspun tweed in rich cranberry color with speckles of purple and red running through, and 2 skeins of rowan's "felted tweed" in a great pine green with flecks of silver, steel blue and rust. absolutely gorgeous, i am going to have to look for more of this stuff, so i can make a nice sweater out of it.

what boggles me, is how polly knew that i have been eyeing the tweeds at my LYS lately but haven't been able to decide on what to get and what to make with it? sometimes it just takes that little push from someone to help get you off the edge. thanks again polly!!!

SP10 questionnaire

2007-03-09T22:17:00.001-08:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
i like wool, wool blends, cotton, mostly any type of natural fibres. i don't care for angora or mohair, too itchy and alpaca usually has too many loose fibres. i also don't care for novelty yarns.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
right now i have the clover needle case. i like it because it's not fussy, although...it's PLASTIC. but so far that is the nicest thing i could find (from a product design standpoint)

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
i started knitting about 6 years ago, my room mate at the time was an avid knitter, and she was always making some very cool things. so one trip back home to visit my family, i asked my mother and grandmother to show me how to knit. when i returned home i was excited to sit and knit with my room mate. we discovered though that when i came to problems and/or questions, she was not able to help me because she didn't know how i was knitting. so, she basically she taught me her way of knitting (continental). i would say that i am probably an advanced-intermediate knitter now, i have done a lot of scarves, blankets and a few sweaters, but i am currently doing my first lace item....still not advanced enough to even THINK about intarsia!!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
yes, i do.

5. What's your favorite scent?
i am pretty particular about scents. for example, i love almond scent. but depending on the quality of the product, it sometimes can smell more nutty other times more like cherries. i think in general, i like things that smell "clean" and i don't mean necessarily like soap, but not heavy and perfume-y, or too complex. i also like citrus scents. my favorite candles are still the lemon and grapefruit kitchen candles from williams-sonoma. they're so fresh smelling. i guess there are some floral scents that i like too. it all depends what is producing the scent...i usually stay away from the fake, chemical smelling stuff...like the glade plug ins and things like that. i tend to like things that smell more natural.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
yes, i love chocolate mainly. chocolate covered nuts, any kind. especially dark chocolate. probably my favorite candy though would have to be a toss up between salt water taffy (all flavors) and black licorice (such as licorice all-sorts). ooo or those peach penguins.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
nothing crafty at the moment other than knitting. no spinning going on here.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
don't really have favorites. i am the type that i like things depdending on my mood at the moment. this applies to color too. but, some colors i really don't like are the flourescents that were really popular during the 80's. teal and burgundy combinations, peach and mint, hahaha....i guess all the bad stuff from the 80's. that's not to say i wouldn't go for something burgundy or mint or teal, there are a lot of good colors out there but it really depends on the intensity, richness, the undertones that make up the color. check out my response response to a similar question for the favorite color swap questionnaire. a lot of the still carries over in terms of what's appealing to me color wise right now.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
single with a partner and a cat!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
scarves...sometimes. not that often living in l.a.!! no hats, or mittens or ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
hmm. again, depends on my mood, what pattern i may happen across, who needs a gift....lol

13. What are you knitting right now?
a dress for my 1.5yo niece, a vest, a sweater, and a baby blanket. yes, i have knitter's a.d.d.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
depends on the item. i am not one who is fond of things that don't have a specific purpose.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
both straights and circs. definitely material of choice is bamboo.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
yes, a winder but no swift. unless you consider my knees as a version of a swift. ha~!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
gads....2yrs. and i didn't even include that in question 13.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
no favorite.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
hahaha, again, check out my response to FCS2, question 3.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
no knitting magazines, but i've been meaning to send in my subscription to Craft:

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
not at the moment

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
not yet. i have been playing with the idea of trying socks, but the bug hasn't hit me yet.

23. When is your birthday?
nov 14

deliciousness

2007-03-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

i mentioned before that i was up at stitches west - i picked up a bag of this great noro silk garden (along with a bunch of other things that i am sure will eventually end up in their own post)...

when i saw this colorway, i fell in love and i knew i had to have it even though i had no idea what i was going to make with it. while i was still up in the bay area i was dying to knit with it, and what started as a swatch slowly turned into the beginnings of yet another vest. i kept going back and forth with the idea of making a sweater, or a cardigan. but in the end with how the color shift naturally occurs, i think i will be the most happy with a vest. i'm loving the way it's knitting up:

speaking of vests, i blocked the pieces of the other vest i was working on the other night, and i pulled them off the board today to start assembling. that's in the works now, and as soon as i sew all the seams together i will start on the neck and armhole banding.

that's it for now, i will try to remember to take progess shots along the way, but i always get too wrapped up in the project to stop and document the process. i used to be really good at that when i was in studio for school, it really makes looking back at what went into the finished piece really fun and interesting.

serve no wine...

2007-02-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

...before it's time

so the other day, one of my tennis team mates was talking about naming our team for the league. he had suggested "the old timers". i, of course, asked why the old timers? was it because we all have been playing in this league for a couple of seasons? and he replied, "no, because we are all over 50". i nearly choked on my gatorade. "excuse me?!? **I** am not in my 50's. hell, i am not even in my 40's!", i exclaimed. he of course nervously corrected himself "oh, OH! of course, all of us except YOU."

so i have no knitting imagery to show you, i am up here in the bay area for stitches west. i had a great time there today, spending way too much money on yarn that i don't need. i justify it my head by reminding myself that i have been good and haven't added to my stash at all so far this year. of course, now i am obligated to start all the new projects i reasoned myself with for each purchase. i bought a two day pass, knowing how i am in seeing things that i WANT but convince myself i don't need, and then leaving the place and yearning for it wishing i had bought it. it happens all the time, i am sure i will be back there before i head home.

SP9 package...

2007-02-16T22:50:00.000-08:00

...finally came!!!

i had a suspicion that my SP was from out of the country, and sure enough she was!!! when concerns first came about that i did not recieve the package, i just had that feeling...in addition, it looks as if the delivery was delayed in customs. from the looks of it the package was searched through, but from what i can tell all the original contents made it...all the way from singapore.

the yarn is australia cable, 100% superwash wool; there's the knitting rules! book by the yarn harlot; a pair of metal clover circs (i had not idea that clover made metal needles, maybe i just never paid attention?); and a couple of bars of meiji chocolate. thanks lois!!!

happy valen-times to me

2007-02-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

i got my first valentine's today, YAY!!! some of my faves....DARK chocolate and coconut crunch bar. from kate spade, what?!?! since when is she doing food items. and some dee-lish ginger chews. and of course the original gummy bear. what a happy surprise in the mail today, thanks jenn!! (now if i could only get her to send me one of those pink heart donuts)

besotted skerf

2007-02-11T23:42:00.001-08:00

i am about done with the besotted skerf that i am making gaetan. i decided to pick it up this weekend and finish it in time for VD, since it's so appropriately themed.

so i am about to bind off, and for some reason decided to finally look at my workmanship...something dee has always told me to do, which is to remember to admire your work every now and then throughout the process....this helps you to appreciate your work, the yarn, the pattern, etc...as well as keep an eye out for mistakes. well, i guess i was just on a roll to get the thing done and hadn't admired my work in a while, right as i was about to get it off the needles i noticed i reversed one of the cables in the "O" four repeats of the pattern back. and since it is a cabled pattern i thought it best not to unravel those 4 stitches all the way down - it'd probably be a nightmare to reknit that far down with this stitch pattern, so i guess i'll frog back a good nine inches.

my apologies for the lack of imagery, my battery pack decided to die right as i was about to take a photo for this post.